230 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER 



Octobe 



the manufacturers or wholesale deal- 

 ers from Jamaica, Zanibar, Madagas- 

 car, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, 

 India, and Morocco. A certain propor- 

 tion of the wax that is offered for sale 

 in the drug market is grossly adulter- 

 ated; not artistically so as to require 

 the services of an analyst to detect the 

 adulteration; but with such things as 

 stones, earth and dead leaves, and 

 some of it is very wormy. Like honey, 

 the imported wax varies greatly in 

 color and quality, ranging froiji white, 

 through all the shades of yellow and 

 blown, to black. Perhaps the article 

 for which there is the greatest <le- 

 niand in the open market is Jamaica 

 wax, whicli is shipped in barrels, casks, 

 and cases weighing from 2 to 4 cwt., 

 and always finds an unlimited sale in 

 London on account of its uueionbtcd 

 purity. The prices range from £7 10s. 

 to £8 15s. per cwt,, and occasionally 

 there is very active competitirtn for it. 

 Its principal uses are for boot and fur- 

 niture polishes, heel-ball tailors' wax, 

 photographic compositions, etc. The to- 

 tal exports from Jamaica in 1808 w»M'e 

 A-alued at £10,294, against £4,823 in 

 1888; while the value of the honey 

 exported from Jamaica during the 

 same years Avas £2,10,S against £1,341. 

 The LTnited States iias inci't'asrd her 

 imports of wax from Jam.;:icM while 

 the amount coming to tlie United 

 Kingdom has decreased, Tiie increased 

 production of wax in Jamaica is voi'y 

 largely due to the intelligejit action of 

 the local agricultural societies, oacked 

 up by the Imperial Depariinont of Ag- 

 riculture, in enco\ira.:2,'ir.;' a belter sys- 

 tem of apiculture. .Jamaica wax va- 

 ries in color from a nice pale broAvn 

 and yellow to good red. and pale to 

 dark brown, or chocolate color. — Jamai- 

 ca Times, Sept. 12, 1903. 



BEES FOR POULTllYMEN. 



In its crop report for July, the INIas- 

 sachusetts state board of agriculture 

 includes an article on "Bee-Keeping; 

 Its Pleasures and Profits," by Dr. Jas. 

 B. Paige, professor of veterinary 

 science at the Massachusetts Agricul- 

 tural College. Tills report may be ob- 

 tained by application to J. Lewis Ells- 

 worth, secretary of the board. State 

 House, Boston, and those desiring to 

 receive these bulletins regularly may 

 have their names placed on the mail- 

 ing list. 



In this article Dr. Paige says: "Fo 

 ty or fifty years ago nearly every fan 

 er kept a few swarms of bees. Th( 

 furnished him a healthy article of fot 

 that was considered almost a necessit 

 Today it is the exception that one sd 

 about the farmer's home — these pr 

 ducers of the most wholesome and d 

 licious table delicacy it is possible 

 obtain. In addition to the producti( 

 of honey, bees perform a valuable s€ 

 vice by the fertilization and cross ft 

 tilizatiou of flowers, the value of whi< 

 cannot be estimated." 



Dr. Paige then gives the figures fro 

 the twelfth census for the LTnitt 

 States, the five leading states in tl 

 bee industry, and for Massachusetl 

 An interesting comparison is that t 

 tween Massachusetts and Vermoi 

 which shows that with practically tl 

 same number of farms, Vermont h 

 12,830 swarms, valued at $3.58 p 

 swarm, while Massachusetts has on 

 8,381 hives, which, however, are A'alU' 

 at $4.26 per hive. ]Mucli of the V€ 

 mont honey is sold in Massachuset" 

 The situation of our own state is mo 

 favorable for bee-keeping than is th 

 of Vermont, and there seems to be i 

 good reason why we should not pi 

 duce sufficient honey for home co 

 sumption. 



Continuing, he points out that it 

 not well to depend on bee-keeping alo: 

 as a source of livelihood, but tliat 

 should be combined with some oth 

 specialty, such as market gardenin 

 fruit growing, or poultry raising. 

 Dr. Paige's opinion a combination 

 bee-keeping and poultry raising is 

 very desirable one, for the reason th 

 bees are inactive in winter when poi 

 try requires constant attention, whi 

 bees can be most advantageously han 

 led during the middle of the day 

 summer, when poultry requires but 1 

 tie care. A large farm in a rural di 

 trict is not essential for the successf 

 keeping of bees. Thej' thrive in town 

 villages, and even in large citie 

 Swarms protected from strong win( 

 and extreme cold in winter will thri'' 

 in almost any locality in Massach 

 setts. 



Dr. Paige gives ad^ace as to the s 

 lection of varieties of bees, manag 

 ment and selection of hives and app] 

 ances. He recommends starting in 

 small way with one or two swarm 

 the natural increase of which wi 

 quickly build up the apiary, while tl 



